Fourth Time's a Charm

The author and his wife, having sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1984, beginning with the race from Newport, RI to Bermuda, lived for the next fifteen years on the Cote d'Azur, their yacht (a 48-foot NY 40 Swan, built in Finland), moored at the Chantiér Navale at Beauleu-sur-Mer, halfway between Nice and Monaco. They rented a villa in St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat for the three months of winter, and cruised the Mediterranean the rest of the year. This story is about their attempts to sail all the way around the Italian boot, to cruise the Dalmation coast of Jugoslavia. Three times they left for Corsica, Sardinia,and dozens of other Italian islands but, before they reached the Adriatic, all three times they had some disaster, such as losing all engine power.

Finally, the fourth year they attempted the journey, again, it was a howling success. Various members of their family (six children, fifteen grandchildren) were with them every summer. There were even. years when the paid crew were grandchildren, two years a boy and a girl. This time, a daughter and son-in-law, with a two year old girl, came along for the cruise. The author and his wife left them in Ajaccio, Corsica, to get a ferry back to Nice for their return home. But when they got to Jugoslavia, they were joined by the author's eldest son and his wife, and completed the cruise.

Among other anecdotes was their experience at Santa Maria de Leuca, at the very tip of the heel of the boot of Italy. The couple had reached this place after about a month at sea and needed some minor engine repair. So the yacht was put in at this ancient harbor and found a modern boatyard. While walking around waiting for the engine repairs, they discovered there was a yacht club. The author's yard arm always flew the burgee of the New York Yacht Club, and carried an NYYC ID. So he and his wife went to the yacht club and asked to have dinner that evening. The steward was overcome and took them to the commanding officer, who was so overwhelmed,, he insisted that the author and his wife must be his guests, and all the club's officers were rounded up to have dinner with them. This was, it seems, the first time a New York Yacht Club Member and his yacht had ever arrived at Santa Maria de Leuca, and they were determined to make a proper affair of the occasion.